[Pride 2020] Skin Deep

Trigger warnings: homophobic slurs, intense and violent imagery

Donald “Donnie” White lumbered his way home as he tried hard to ignore the way the fat on his sides, back, and underarms wiggled as he moved. The 5’0, 275 lb sophomore lived three blocks away from the school, but the walk felt like an eternity to his joints. When he moved too quickly, he would wheeze from the back of his throat which made him sound like a pig.

“What exactly is the difference?” he said quietly to himself as he kept his head down and his eyes downcast.

He kept his pace short to avoid sweat from pouring down his face. Filmy slime made of high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated fried oils, clogging pores and turning his face into a replica of the moon’s surface.

Nobody likes looking at a sweaty fat boy with zits all over his face, he thought to himself.

Caught up in his thoughts, Donnie ignored the sounds of a truck idling behind him. He figured it was a parent picking up their kid, or one of the many seniors permitted to drive to and from school.

“Hey faggot!” a familiar voice called.

Donnie didn’t have time to turn around. He felt a sharp, hard thunk against the back of his head. He heard something fall to the ground as he reached back out of instinct. His fingers swept against a sore spot and he winced in pain. Bringing his hand forward, Donnie’s eyes grew wide with concern when he saw blood on his fingertips. Feeling dizzy, Donnie's face hit the asphalt before his conscious wandered off.

“Make sure he can’t move,” a deep voice echoed.

The air felt humid but cool. A cold sweat gathered across Donnie’s body, a familiar feeling in a familiar room.

Donnie shivered, realizing he was naked.

He tried to open his eyes, but a blade of light blinded him. He threw his head back and called out in pain. That’s when he felt his hands and feet were bound to a pole.

“He’s waking up,” a different voice said, but Donnie knew the voice.

“N-Na-Nate?” Donnie asked as he fought to pull himself out of a daze.

Nathan “Nate” Ferguson, a fellow sophomore and one of Donnie’s many bullies.

Slowly, Donnie opened one of his eyelids and he realized he was in the basement locker room where he and fellow male classmates showered after gym. Standing before him were all of his biggest tormentors: sophomores Nate, Anthony Greene, and Andy Turner; seniors Matt Grady and his bodyguard Duke “Tower” Chambers; junior Brad Randall and his freshman girlfriend Marlee Blood.

It all started with Marlee.

Many weeks ago, she noticed Donnie writing in a personal journal, something he often did to avoid the whispers and glares from his fellow classmates. One day, she stole the journal from Donnie’s bag, and she read it aloud to all the students during lunch.

In numerous entries, Donnie wrote about his feelings for certain members of classmates, including Andy Turner, Matt Grady, and Brad Randall. The three of them all reacted in their own ways: Andy was disgusted and avoided Donnie, though that wasn't any different than before; Brad was furious, promising loudly and proudly that he’d get payback; and Matt Grady retaliated with physical abuse in the form of groping and teasing Donnie in public, in front of all of their classmates.

For months, Donnie lived his worst nightmare as everyone pointed, laughed, and physically assaulted him.

“Nobody wants to fuck a fat slob like you.”

“Go home, homo!”

“We don’t want faggots here.”

“Fuck you, fat pig.”

Then, they’d push, shove, punch, kick, trip, block, and bash Donnie, in the hallways, in the locker room, during lunch, and sometimes in class.

The teachers said and did nothing for fear of going against the school administration. The administration told Donnie he should have kept his sexual proclivities to himself, and it was up to him to make it work.

I guess they got tired of bashing the queer, Donnie thought as he struggled against his bonds. Now, it’s time to graduate by killing the queer.

A story told a thousand times: Matthew Shepard, Howard Efland, Robert Hillsborough, Harvey Milk, Robert Allen Taylor, Charlie Howard, Rebecca Wight, Tommy Lee Trimble and John Lloyd Griffin, Venus Xtravaganza, Brandon Teena, and many more. They intended to put Donnie on that list.

A glint of light reflected off a shiny, thin piece of metal in Brad’s hand, a large hunting knife.

Donnie gulped as his eyes ignored everything else and followed the blade.

Brad moved in close, rubbing the knife lightly against Donnie’s smooth, pale skin. “Did you really think that we would let you get away with writing smut about us like that? That we would let some faggot think he can stroll around, flaunting his sinful lifestyle in the faces of our Christian brothers and sisters here at our school?”

Remaining quiet, Donnie looked down at Brad, his body trembling as the cold metal swept across his skin.

A smile spread across Brad’s face as he gazed into Donnie’s eyes. “We’re going to make you wish you had kept that shit to yourself.” Then, he turned to Andy and held out the hunting knife. “Let’s have Andy take the first swing. Besides, most of the fantasies were written about you.”

Marlee giggled, as she stood beside Brad with her arms crossed in front of her undeveloped chest.

Sure, being gay is a sin, but fucking underage girls is cool, Donnie thought to himself. He made sure Marlee saw the look of disgust on his face anytime their eyes met.

Andy reached his trembling hand out to take the knife, but he hesitated when he felt the cold blade in his palm.

“Remember what he wrote,” said Anthony, flanking Andy on his right. “All that shit about how good you’d feel inside him.”

Nate joined along on Andy’s left. “He said he wanted to devour you whole, take you deep inside, and feel you squirm deep within him.”

“Shit’s sick, man,” Matt said.

“Mmm-hmm,” Tower added in a deep, low hum.

Andy moved past Brad to get closer to Donnie. He looked at the blade before looking up at Donnie.

“Do it, Andy!” they began to chant. “Do it. Do it. Do it.”

When the two teens’ eyes met, Donnie saw the anger Andy had for him. Donnie thought he saw a glimmer of mercy, but it turned to cold, hard hatred in an instant.

Andy reached his hand back, his fist tight around the knife's handle, and he brought it down in an arc over his shoulder, aimed at Donnie’s stomach.

A thick line drew itself down Donnie’s abdomen in a zig-zag pattern, across his stomach down to his pelvis. The line deepened until Donnie’s stomach opened up into a terrifying, jagged-toothed mouth.

As Andy struck, Donnie’s stomach chomped down and bit off Andy’s arm. Blood gushed out of the torn shoulder socket as he yelled, falling backwards onto the ground.

Everyone jumped back, letting out screams as their minds tried to process the scene.

While they remained frozen in shock, sharp-toothed tentacles lunged from deep within Donnie’s stomach-mouth, slashing at Donnie’s bonds and freeing him. The tentacles carried Donnie across the room without him setting foot on the ground.

Seeing Donnie coming toward them, the six, unharmed teens ran out screaming.

Andy remained on the floor, pale and bleeding out. His watery green eyes looked up at Donnie in astonishment and fear.

“I guess my dreams really will come true,” Donnie said as one of his tentacles wrapped itself around Andy. “I’ll get to devour you whole and feel you squirm deep inside me.”

A tear fell down Andy’s cheek as Donnie’s tentacle slowly dragged him into the stomach-mouth.

Donnie stared down at Andy with a caring smile. “Don’t worry. You’ll have company very soon. I’m saving that bitch, Marlee, for last.”

Andy began to sob as he entered Donnie’s stomach fully and watched as it closed up almost as easily as it had opened.

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